The first RAW book I bought was the Illuminatus Trilogy! There it sat on my shelves for years. Later on when I was having issues with life a friend who'd just finished Prometheus Rising suggested it so I picked that up. After I put 2 and 3 together I realized that I'd been missing out for years now on this man's writing and it'd been right there on my shelf. After that I picked up Quantum Psychology since Shroedinger's Cat was out at the store. Went back in to find Shroedinger's Cat again and it was out again but that time I picked up Cosmic Trigger I. Honestly I'm glad I came upon this later on because at that point I knew about RAW's multifacitedness and that book hit me like a crossbow bolt through the chest. The Cosmic Trigger's are by far my favorites but I think that's because of the process I went through getting to them and if I'd started with them I most likely wouldn't have continued my search for more RAW books, much less the ones he recommended in his writings that spurred him along his path in life.

But yeah, whichever book fate puts into your hands first will probably be about as good as any ;) If you're down right now, Promethus Rising might help, if you want social commentary on the last century through the form of an auto-biography of a man who did a lot in life then go with the Cosmic Trigger's, if you want a fiction book that'll make you think you're either part of the story or might in fact just be dreaming your existence go with Illuminatus, if you want a really interesting dive into psychology go for the Quantum ones :)

Bon voyage!! :)

Like many other prolific authors, Bob's writing underwent numerous stages expressing peaks and valleys and all-time lows. IMO, the following books frame Bob's peak era as an author. This era spans eleven years, a formidable breadth by any standard:

The Illuminatus! Trilogy (1975) (with Robert Shea)
The Eye in the Pyramid
The Golden Apple
Leviathan
Cosmic Trigger I: Final Secret of the Illuminati (1977)
Neuropolitics (1978) (with Timothy Leary and George Koopman)
The Game of Life (1979) (with Timothy Leary)
The Illuminati Papers (1980)
Schrödinger's Cat trilogy (1980-1981)
The Universe Next Door
The Trick Top Hat
The Homing Pigeon
Masks of the Illuminati (1981)
The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles
The Earth Will Shake (1982)
The Widow's Son (1985)
Nature's God (1991)
Right Where You Are Sitting Now (1983)
Prometheus Rising (1983)
The New Inquisition (1986)


I'm not saying the books he wrote after 1986 were bad or without merit or value. It's just that I have noticed a consistent rehashing of the seminal seed ideas that sprouted with such fury and compassion during the previous eleven years. I remain astonished by the duration of this peak era, which matches the cycle of Sun spot peaks and storms. Coincidence ? I don't think so. To me, Bob exemplified the archetype of Prometheus who stole fire from the gods to set aflame the minds of the people.